Horse-detaching mechanism



(No Model.) 2'sheets-sneet 1.

P M DOUGHTY HORSE DBTAGHING MBGHANISM.

No. 477,358. Patented June 21, 1892In lll/llllll 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P M DGUGHTY HORSE DETAGHING MEGHANISM. No. 477,358.

PatentedJune 21, 1892.

NITED STATES i ATEN-T OFFICE.

PHLANDER M. DOUGHTY, OF CAMPBELLSVILLE, KENTUCKY.

HORSE-DETACHING IVIECHANISIVI.

SPECIFICATNN forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,358, dated J une 21, 1892.

Application filed August 13, 1891.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, PHILANDER M. DOUGHTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Campbellsville, in the county of Taylor and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Mechanism for Detaching a Horse from a Vehicle; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it'appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a mechanism for detaching a horse from a vehicle; and its objectv is to provide a mechanism whereby a horse can be quickly and readily detached from a vehicle without the driver getting out of same and while the vehicle is vin motion, with a view of securing the safety of the occupants and vehicle in the event of a runaway. I attain said object by a certain combination and arrangement of parts fully described in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of the vehicle with parts broken away, showing the relative arrangement of the different parts which constitute my invention and mutually contribute to produce a single result. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device to which the holding-back strap of the harness is attached secured tota portion of t-he shaft.. Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective View of the shaftelevator, showing the relative arrangement of the parts which cooperate with it. Fig. 4 is a front view of the dash-board and rail and the forked strap. Fig. 5 isalongitudinal sectional view of the singletree.

Referring to the drawings, the letterA designates the singletree employed with a view of detaching the traces of the harness. It will be observed in Figs. l and 5 that said singletree is located upon the cross-bar of the shafts and that each end thereof is provided with a thimble a, which fits thereupon; that the outer ends of each of said thimbles have a curved downwardly-projecting guard a', which, in conjunction with the sliding bolts a2, securely holds the traces in position when they are attached to the singletree; that the while being hitched. served that in said event the strap E will be said bolts a2 are kept in their normal position by means of spiral springs a3, which fit Serial No. 402,574. (No model.)

respectively, being bent, as illustrated in Fig.A

5, the bolts a2 may be more effectually operated for the reason that the detachable forked strap B, Fig. 4, when pulled draws horizontally upon each of the bolts, and they therefore may be more readily drawn. It will be further seen, Fig. l, that the forked strap B extends backward from the singletree A to the base of the 4dash-board C, thence through a ring c, thence to the top of the dash-board through another ring c', thence to the top CZ of an adjustable iron railing D, located upon the top of said dash-board. This railing is arranged and constructed as illustrated in Fig. 4 and may perform several important functions. Primarily it was designed as a safety-singletree reminder and a support for the detachable strap B, so that the same could be easily reached without danger of being kicked by the horse in the event of a runaway. Secondarily it has proven of untold value as a line-rest or means of elevating the lines to prevent the horse from switching his tail over the same. Said dash-rail may, therefore, by means of the horizontal and vertical bars d3 and the telescopic features d', in conjunction with the thumb-screws d2, be made adjustable to any desired width of dash-board or height of horse.

It is well to mention the fact that to the detachable strap B, at the pointe, there is attached anotherV strap E, designed t0 be fastened to the rim of the vehicle-wheel F in the event the horse should run or break loose It will be readily obdrawn by the revolution of theiwheel F,which in turn will draw the detachable strap B, and that the horse Will at once be detached by the mechanism which has in part been explained and will be more fully explained hereinafter. The dotted lines, Fig. 1, however, indicate the normal position of the strap E. After the traces have been extricated from the singletree A by the mechanism aforedescribed it is IOO apparent that some means must be devised to detach the holding-back strap G of the harness. With this end in View the holdin g-backstrap detacher is provided, which is illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the letter H represents a bar flat upon the top, so that the same can be bolted to the under side of the shaft by means of the bolts h. Upon the under side of the bar H there is provided a guard h2. Under this guard there is pivoted in a slot of the bar H the tongue h3, which is operated by means of the spiral spring h4, located centrally under the tongue h3 and fitting over a small projection h5 and resting in a cavity I in the shaft. It will be observed that said spiral spring h4 holds the tongue h3 in its normal position and that the ring J, to which the holding -back strap G is attached, may be pulled out of its bearings by the forward movement of the horse to which said strap is secured after the horse is detached from the singletree.

The horse being detached from the vehicle while running may be fruitful of harm if some means are not provided by which the shafts can be held up and prevented from falling to the ground, penetrating the same, and frequently capsizing the vehicle. Consequently I have invented a shaft-elevator K, (see Figs. l and 3,) by which said difficulty may be obviated. Said elevator comprisesa perforated plate L, the perforation Z being oblong and adapted to fit upon the inner ends of any shaft-bolt Z which secures the shaft to the axle-bar. The other perforations have no other object in view than that of making -lighter the plate L. To the lower front end of this plate there is pivoted the curved lever Z2, which engages, by means of a notch Z3 in the upper end of the same, the downwardlyprojecting bar M, which is bolted to the shaft. Said curved lever is held in its normal position by means of the spring Zl. This shaftelevator is not onlyvuseful in the event of a runaway when the horse is detached, but is very valuable for the purpose of holding up the shafts when the vehicle is notin use. Besides it prevents the shafts from rattling, and in this sense may be called an anti-rattler.

Having fully described my mechanism as afore indicated, and it being apparent that the same is very useful and practical, I deem it useless to, further enlarge upon its merits.

l. In a mechanism for detaching a horse from a Vehicle, the combination of the singletree A, located and working upon the crossn bar of the vehicle-shafts, the adjustable railing D, located upon the top of thedash-board of the vehicle, the holdingback-strap detacher located near the center and upon the under side of the shaft, consisting of the bar H, bolted to said shafts. and the tongue h3, pivoted upon the under side thereof and working in a slot therein and operated by the spiral spring h4, located under the same, the forked strap B, secured to the screw-eyes a4 and eX- tending backward to the base of the dashboard, thence upward to the top of the adj ustable railing D, and the lshaft-elevator K, located upon the inner end of the bolt that secures the shaft to the axle-bar and adapted to engage the downwardly-prejecting bar M of the shaft, all substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a mechanism for detaching a horse from a vehicle, the holdingback-strap detacher comprising the bar II, bolted to the shaft, the tongue h3, pivoted upon the under side thereof and working in a slot therein, and the spiral spring 714,10- cated in the cavity 8 of the shaft, having its upper end fitting over the projection h5 of said tongue, in combination with the shaft, substantially as described and set forth.

3. In combination with the co-operating mechanism for detaching a horse from a vehicle, the shaft-elevator located upon the inner end of the bolt which secures the shaft to the axle-bar, said elevator comprising the plate L, having the curved lever or pawl 12,

pivoted to the lower front end of the samev and adapted to engage the downwardly-projecting bar M, and the said bar M, bolted to the shaft of the vehicle, substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the co-operating mechanism for detaching a horse from a vehicle, the forked strap B, secured to the screw-eyes oof the singletree and extending backward to the base of the dash -board, thence upward to the top of the adjustable railing D, the strap E, secured to the strap B at the point e, and the singletree A and the adjustable railing D, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with ,the co-operating mechanism for detaching a horse from a vehicle, the forked strap B, secured to the screw-eyes a4 of the singletree and extending backward to the, base vof the dash-board, thence upward to the top of the adjustable railing D, the strap E, secured to the strap B at the point e, and the singletree A, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILANDER M. DOUGI-ITY.

IVitnesses:

- H. C. HoRD,

- JACOB ODEWAK.

IIO 

